More news from my unzoned city:

The chart above displays 1-unit housing starts for the entire state of California and the Houston metro area annually from 2011-2013 and year-to-date through March for 2014. During the period from January 2011 to March 2014, there have been slightly more single-family housing starts in Houston (95,037) than in California for the entire state (94,993). In this single chart, we can understand the dynamism of the booming, expanding Texas economy and housing market compared to the stagnation of the California economy and the housing market there for new construction.

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During the month of March, the median sales price of homes sold in California at $376,000 was almost exactly double the median sales price of homes sold in Houston at $189,000. The median sales price in the SF Bay area in March was $579,000, more than three times the median sales price in Houston.

And it doesn’t look like this rate will change any time soon.

Houston had more new-home starts last year than the entire state of California, he says, and it will continue to be the nation’s top spot for building for a long time.  “I think it’s going to last for quite some time because Atlanta and Phoenix are the only two that are challenging and they are way behind.” …

Houston had more new-home starts last year than the entire state of California, he says, and it will continue to be the nation’s top spot for building for a long time.  “I think it’s going to last for quite some time because Atlanta and Phoenix are the only two that are challenging and they are way behind.”